A refined deviatoric hardening plastic model for sand

The classical deviatoric hardening models are capable of characterizing the mechanical response of granular materials for a broad range of degrees of compaction.This work finds that it has limitations in accurately predicting the volumetric deformation characteristics under a wide range of confining/consolidation pressures.The issue stems from the pressure independent hardening law in the classical deviatoric hardening model.To overcome this problem,we propose a refined deviatoric hardening model in which a pressure-dependent hardening law is developed based on experimental observations.Comparisons between numerical results and laboratory triaxial tests indicate that the improved model succeeds in capturing the volumetric deformation behavior under various confining/consolidation pressure conditions for both dense and loose sands.Furthermore,to examine the importance of the improved deviatoric hardening model,it is combined with the bounding surface plasticity theory to investigate the mechanical response of loose sand under complex cyclic loadings and different initial consolidation pressures.It is proved that the proposed pressure-dependent deviatoric hardening law is capable of predicting the volumetric deformation characteristics to a satisfactory degree and plays an important role in the simulation of complex deformations for granular geomaterials.

Underestimated Methane Emissions from Solid Waste Disposal Sites Reveal Missed Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Opportunities

1.Introduction Cities are responsible for approximately 70%of all anthropogenic greenhouse gas(GHG)emissions and about 60%of all anthropogenic methane(CH4)emissions[1,2].Solid waste disposal sites(including landfills and dumpsites),which are prevalent in global cities,emit CH4 generated from the anaerobic biodegradation of municipal solid waste(MSW).Notably,the proportions of CH4 emissions from disposal sites surpass 50%of the total CH4 emissions in some megalopolises[3].CH4 has a high global warming potential(GWP),being 28 times stronger than carbon dioxide(CO_(2))over a 100-year period and 80 times stronger over a 20-year period[4].Understanding and mitigating CH4 emissions from solid waste disposal sites is particularly pertinent and pressing,considering that the latest Synthesis Report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change(IPCC)emphasizes that the current pace of mitigation and adaptation policies and measures falls short of restraining global temperature rise to under 1.5℃ within the 21st century[4].More than 150 countries signed the Global Methane Pledge at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow(COP26),which aims to reduce global annual CH4 emissions by 30%by 2030,compared with emissions in 2020[5].

Engineering properties for high kitchen waste content municipal solid waste

Engineering properties of municipal solid waste （MSW） depend largely on the waste＇s initial compositionand degree of degradation. MSWs in developing countries usually have a high kitchen waste content（called HKWC MSW）. After comparing and analyzing the laboratory and field test results of physicalcomposition, hydraulic properties, gas generation and gas permeability, and mechanical properties forHKWC MSW and low kitchen waste content MSW （called LKWC MSW）, the following findings wereobtained： （1） HKWC MSW has a higher initial water content （IWC） than LKWC MSW, but the field capacitiesof decomposed HKWC and LKWC MSWs are similar; （2） the hydraulic conductivity and gaspermeability for HKWC MSW are both an order of magnitude smaller than those for LKWC MSW; （3）compared with LKWC MSW, HKWC MSW has a higher landfill gas （LFG） generation rate but a shorterduration and a lower potential capacity; （4） the primary compression feature for decomposed HKWCMSW is similar to that of decomposed LKWC MSW, but the compression induced by degradation ofHKWC MSW is greater than that of LKWC MSW; and （5） the shear strength of HKWC MSW changessignificantly with time and strain. Based on the differences of engineering properties between these twokinds of MSWs, the geo-environmental issues in HKWC MSW landfills were analyzed, including highleachate production, high leachate mounds, low LFG collection efficiency, large settlement and slopestability problem, and corresponding advice for the management and design of HKWC MSW landfills wasrecommended.

Mechanism of the December 2015 Catastrophic Landslide at the Shenzhen Landfill and Controlling Geotechnical Risks of Urbanization

This paper presents findings from an investigation of the large-scale construction solid waste （CSW） landslide that occurred at a landfill at Shenzhen, Guangdong, China, on December 20, 2015, and which killed 77 people and destroyed 33 houses. The landslide involved 2.73 - 106 m3 of CSW and affected an area about 1100 m in length and 630 m in maximum width, making it the largest landfill landslide in the world. The investigation of this disaster used a combination of unmanned aerial vehicle surveillance and multistage remote-sensing images to reveal the increasing volume of waste in the landfill and the shifting shape of the landfill slope for nearly two years before the landslide took place, beginning with the creation of the CSW landfill in March, 2014, that resulted in the uncertain conditions of the landfill＇s boundaries and the unstable state of the hydrologic performance. As a result, applying conventional stability analysis methods used for natural landslides to this case would be difficult. In order to analyze this disaster, we took a multistage modeling technique to analyze the varied characteristics of the land- fill slope＇s structure at various stages of CSW dumping and used the non-steady flow theory to explain the groundwater seepage problem. The investigation showed that the landfill could be divided into two units based on the moisture in the land： （1） a front uint, consisted of the landfill slope, which had low water content; and （2） a rear unit, consisted of fresh waste, which had a high water content. This struc- ture caused two effects-surface-water infiltration and consolidation seepage that triggered the landslide in the landfill. Surface-water infiltration induced a gradual increase in pore water pressure head, or piezometric head, in the front slope because the infiltrating position rose as the volume of waste placement increased. Consolidation seepage led to higher excess pore water pressures as the loading of waste increased. We also investigated the post-failure soil dynamics parameters of the landslide deposit using cone penetration, triaxial, and ring-shear tests in order to simulate the characteristics of a flowing slide with a long run-out due to the liquefaction effect. Finally, we conclude the paper with lessons from the tens of catastrophic landslides of municipal solid waste around the world and discuss how to better manage the geotechnical risks of urbanization.

Classification and quantification of excavated soil and construction sludge:A case study in Wenzhou,China

With rapid urbanization in China,a large amount of excavated soil and construction sludge is being generated from geotechnical and underground engineering.For sustainable management of these construction wastes,it is essential to quantify their production first.The present study has attempted to classify the excavated soil and construction sludge according to their composition and geotechnical properties(particle size,water content,plasticity index).Based on these classifications,a new approach was proposed to quantify the production.The said approach was based on multi-source information,such as the urban topographic map,geological survey reports,urban master plan,and remote sensing images.A case study in Wenzhou city of China was also pursued to illustrate the validity of the newly developed approach.The research showed that in 2021–2025,the total excavated soils and construction sludge production in Wenzhou would reach 107.5×10^(6) and 81.7×10^(6) m^(3),respectively.Furthermore,the excavated soil was classified into the miscellaneous fill,crust clay,muddy clay and mud with silty sand.Likewise,the construction sludge was classified as liquid sludge and paste-like sludge.The classification and quantification can serve as guidance for disposal and recycling,thereby leading to high-level management of waste disposal.

Passive convergence-permeable reactive barrier (PC-PRB): An effective configuration to enhance hydraulic performance

A novel permeable reactive barrier(PRB)configuration,the so-called passive convergence-permeable reactive barrier(PC-PRB),is proposed to overcome several shortcomings of traditional PRB configurations,such as high dependency to site hydrogeological characteristics and plume size.The PC-PRB is designed to make the plume converge towards the PRB due to the passive hydraulic decompression-convergent flow effect.The corresponding passive groundwater convergence(PC)system is deployed upstream of the PRB system,which consists of passive wells,water pipes,and a buffer layer.A two-dimensional(2D)finite-difference hydrodynamic code,entitled PRB-Flow,is developed to examine the hydraulic performance parameters(i.e.,capture width(W)and residence time(t))of PC-PRB.It is proved that the horizontal 2D capture width(Wh)and vertical 2D capture depth(Wv)of the PC-PRB remarkably increase compared to that of the continuous reactive barrier(C-PRB).The aforementioned relative growth values in order are greater than 50%and 25%in this case study.Therefore,the PRB geometric dimensions as well as the materials cost required for the same plume treatment lessens.The sensitivity analysis reveals that the dominant factors influencing the hydraulic performance of the PC-PRB are the water pipe length(Lp),PRB length(LPRB),passive well height(Hw),and PRB height(HPRB).The discrepancy between the Wh of PC-PRB and that of the C-PRB(i.e.,∆Wh)has a low correlation with PRB parameters and mainly depends on Lp,which could dramatically simplify the PC-PRB design procedure.Generally,the proposed PC-PRB exhibits an effective PRB configuration to enhance hydraulic performance.

Hyper-gravity experiment of solute transport in fractured rock and evaluation method for long-term barrier performance

Hyper-gravity experiment enable the acceleration of the long-term transport of contaminants through fractured geological barriers.However,the hyper-gravity effect of the solute transport in fractures are not well understood.In this study,the sealed control apparatus and the 3D printed fracture models were used to carry out 1 g and N g hyper-gravity experiments.The results show that the breakthrough curves for the 1 g and N g experiments were almost the same.The differences in the flow velocity and the fitted hydrodynamic dispersion coefficient were 0.97–3.12%and 9.09–20.4%,indicating that the internal fractures of the 3D printed fracture models remained stable under hyper-gravity,and the differences in the flow and solute transport characteristics were acceptable.A method for evaluating the long-term barrier performance of low-permeability fractured rocks was proposed based on the hyper-gravity experiment.The solute transport processes in the 1 g prototype,1 g scaled model,and N g scaled model were simulated by the OpenGeoSys(OGS)software.The results show that the N g scaled model can reproduce the flow and solute transport processes in the 1 g prototype without considering the micro-scale heterogeneity if the Reynolds number(Re)critical Reynolds number(Recr)and the Peclet number(Pe)the critical Peclet number(Pecr).This insight is valuable for carrying out hyper-gravity experiments to evaluate the long-term barrier performance of low-permeability fractured porous rock.